2010 BBC Preach-A-Thon - Jose Velez

How's your love life? Christian is your love life marked by your love for the Father or is it marked by your love for the world? Today we are going to look at the letter of 1st John in camp in chapter 2.

Please turn your Bibles to 1st John chapter 2. Here We will look at four truths you must remember to keep you from worldly living. But first Here is some background on John's first epistle. The author is John the Apostle one of the sons of Zebedee.

Nicknamed by Jesus as one of the sons of thunder John was close to the Lord and participated in the ministry of Jesus. John as you know is the author of the gospel John first and second John and the book of Revelation.

Revelation. John is said to be here aged in age and one of the remaining survivors of the apostolic age and Here he is writing to Christians. He is affirming Christian fundamentals. While there was a circle of Gnostic influence of false teachers who were denying fundamentals of the Christian faith John is like going back to the basics of Christianity.

The letter contains John in a pastoral tone, but in his apostolic authority combating these false prophets with proclaiming Fundamentals of the faith and also providing tests for genuine Christian conversion.

Four Truths from 1 John 2:15-17 Against Worldly Living

Before we set our tent in chapter 2 and look at verses 15 through 17. There are two reasons why you must listen to this message. Reason number one why you must listen to this message. It is obvious because it is in the Bible.

Reason number two why you must listen to this message. No matter if you are a Christian who is New and your sins are forgiven or if you are a father in the faith and you know him who is from the beginning or if you are a bold young man in the faith and have Overcome the evil one.

It doesn't matter what level you're in. This message is for you now. We are ready to look at four truths that you must remember to keep you from worldly living. Let us look at verse 15 truth number one.

The Command Not to Love the World

First truth to keep you from worldly living. You must remember it's a command. Look at verse 15 a Do not love the world nor the things in the world. John here is commanding his audience. He is not asking them not to like the world.

No, he is Commanding them not to love the world. The commandment not to love the world as in president and prevative an ongoing command. Notice John's shocking treatment how John commands them not to take the action of loving.

You may also notice that John is not Commanded them to live in seclusion from the world to live in a monastery or some something like that. No, he is commanding them not to love the world. They are to be in the world, but not part of it.

But rather John here is commanding them not to take the action of loving. Notice the word love. The love where the word love here means being a loyal devoted or attached to something. It is to give one time once time or attention or self entirely to this world.

As kiss the marker comments quote the love that is in John's mind. It is the love which God demands in the summary of the law. Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself. And quote there are commanded not to love the world nor the things in the world.

Now it is important to flesh out what world here means. The word world comes from the word cosmos. See God created the world and the things in the world. Hence. He loves the world. So you might ask didn't John say in John 3 16 for God so loved the world and here in verse 15 He states do not love the world.

But the world here in 1st John chapter 2 means world as in world systems. False ideologies or Philosophies or in this context of the epistle can be narcissism or dualism. Narcissism which was a heresy.

Gnosticism comes from the Greek word knowledge. This false teaching taught that Matter was evil and the spirit is good. Basically the spirit was good and the flesh was evil. These false prophets were denying that Jesus came in the flesh denying one of the major Christian doctrines the doctrine of Christ being fully human.

I Tell you this Jesus Christ was fully God and fully men in one person and will be so forever. Listen to the words of John. How he describes the actions of these toxic teachers. Many deceivers who thought who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh have gone out into the world.

Any such person is the deceiver and the Antichrist? 2nd John 7. For anything that was in the flesh through these Gnostics was evil. This was one of the demonic ideas flowing around. These Christians were commanded not to partake or be devoted or even adhered to this worldview.

They were to be disloyal to these ideas. Now Some examples in our present day can be the current influence of the Marcus Borg's denying the deity of Jesus or the Rob Bell's undermining the virgin birth stating that it is really not that important or The emergent village trying to erase the foundations of Christian orthodoxy just so that they can have a meaningful conversation.

Christian you must not love any demonic idea that tries to creep in the church calling itself new revelation. That erases the truth that was once delivered to you. John commands not to love this. Beloved you must not be detached.

Devoted to these false demonic world system ruled by the devil himself. Remember the command you must not love the world. Second truth to keep you from worldly living you must remember that this is a very serious command.

The Seriousness of Loving the World

Look at verse 15 B, please. If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him now. Imagine the flash red warning lights turning on as John writes this general statement. If anyone meaning any one of his recipients of this epistle Loves the world is being devoted being loyal pursuing or living for this present world system.

Then the love of the Father is not in him. How heavy is this statement? How serious is this? Christian the love for God is an exclusive love. Who can make this more clear than Jesus himself? Listen to his words.

No one can serve two masters for either He will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. Love for the world and love for God cannot exist together. They are two opposites.

On one hand is the love for Christ and devotion to God's will and on the other hand you have love for the world and Devotion to a demonic system ruled by Satan it is obvious that this equilibrium cannot or will exist.

If The love of God is not in you due to the fact that you love the world then that makes you an enemy of God as Knox states quote a man with God on his side is Always in the majority and a man with God not on his side is on the minority and an enemy.

The Bible is clear. Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. If you are characterized by this ongoing lifestyle of willingness, then you must examine yourself if you even are a Christian.

This is serious. And you must remember the seriousness of this commandment now truth number three To keep you from worldly living. You must remember the definition of worldliness. Look at verse 16 for all that is in the world.

The Definition of Worldliness

The loss of the flesh the loss of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the father. But it is from the world. Notice here that John is not saying For all that is in the world the wine you drink the cigars you smoke the theaters that you attend or the music that you listen to.

No, he is not saying this at all. He is not given some legalistic lists, but here he gives a very short But comprehensive list that represents a triad of sinful behaviors and sinful desires. What are these sinful behaviors?

What are these sinful desires? Look how John clearly explains what he means as you look at the text number one loss of the flesh. This is the sensual pleasure this act of desiring with sinful intentions.

It includes sexual desire. And as you look number two loss of the eyes. This elaborates the flesh. You see the eyes more than any other sense tempts people to sin sexually. No other person can make this clearer than Jesus himself.

Listen to his words. You have heard that it was said you shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery in his heart. It is said that the eyes are the channel to a man's soul as A commentator John Stock comments quote Eve's view of the forbidden fruit as pleasing to the eye.

Aikens covetous sight among the spoil of a beautiful role from Babylonia and David's lustful looking after Bathsheba as she bathed are obvious examples.

Close quote the number three.

Here he describes is the pride of life or as the NEB translation the New English Translates it as all the glamour of life. This is a boastful of materialistic things being boastful as MacArthur comments.

Quote the phrase has the idea of arrogance over one circumstances which produce haughtiness or exaggeration. Parading what one possessed to impress other people and quote here are some examples of the active part of life.

And whenever someone or you may have a conversation. They might say or they might brag about their status in their community. Or how green their lawn is or the gas-guzzling SUV. They just bought with straight cash.

This is just like the statement that we are all familiar with keeping up with the Joneses. It is a pleasured filled sinful life. It is this hedonistic pleasure filled ongoing lifestyle of of self-gratifying behavior.

These acts of disobedience do not originate from the father, but they originate from Satan himself. John clearly states that this is not from God the Father, but it is from the world. You see these Christians were adopted through Christ as they knew what John meant when he gives this affirmation not from the father.

So this was a helpful hint of the seriousness of John's exhortation. Christian you must be aware that an ongoing sinful lifestyle is not from the father, but it is from the world. Truth number four fourth truth to keep you from worldly living.

Living for What Lasts Forever

You must remember to live for something that lasts forever. Look at verse 17. The world is passing away in all its lusts, but the one who does the will of God lives forever. Look and think to yourself how this world will soon pass away.

This world in its present form is passing away. And the reality is is that this world is going straight to hell. Nothing in this world will last forever as The text clearly says it is passing away not just the world but also all of it sluts.

All of the world's ideas all of its worldly lusts will all be gone along with those who make a lifestyle of it. The world will pass away along with those who practice worldliness just like a passing tsunami.

Heading back to the ocean along with what it has destroyed. But the good news is in this verse. But the one who does the will of God will live forever. You see God's children are secure. One of the attributes of God is that he is eternal and he is unchanging.

He is immutable. His immutability distinguishes him from all his creatures. He is subject to no change. He is infinite. Think about this as he declares in his word. I am the Lord and I change not. Don't you want to devote yourself to someone who is this big.

Or would you rather be loyal and devoted to something that will soon be destroyed? Here you have God and the world you pick the one who does the will of God will live forever and Who is this one? It is the one who believes and looks to Christ.

The one who believes in God's Son Jesus Christ will last forever. This is not based on morality. Or how good they live their lives or is not based on how much they knew and they knew all the right Definitions that are in a theological handbook.

No, it is based on God's perfect will and that is in Christ alone. So are you struggling with worldliness? Think about it. Is your life characterized by worldliness? Is it characterized by the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes?

Or the prideful arrogant boasting of this earth's materialistic things. Or is it characterized by your love for the father? Who are you devoting your life to? Everyone loves something and if you are struggling with holiness, there is something that you can do.

You must preach the gospel to yourself. You must preach to yourself the words of the Apostle Paul and believe it as He wrote to the Corinthians for I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and He was buried and that he was raised and on the third day according to the scriptures.

If you are struggling with willingness, you must look to Christ you must run to him. Beloved remember the four truths. That are in 1st John chapter 2 as we looked in verses 15 through 17 and as we recap.

The truth number one that you must remember to keep you from worldly living is that you must remember that John is Commanding. He is not asking. He is not asking you to like no. He is commanding truth number two.

You must remember to keep you from worldly living is that this commandment is serious. How serious. The seriousness of this commandment is that if you love the world then you do not love the Father. John clearly states this.

Truth number three that you must remember to help you to keep you from worldliness as a definition of what worldliness is. You must remember that worldliness is not this long list of legalistic rules.

No. Willingness is this ongoing sinful fleshly sinful gratifying pleasure filled life. And truth number four that you must remember to look to. That you must remember is to live for something that lasts forever.

Remember God is eternal and this world is fading away. I rather choose God and serve someone that who is all-powerful and unchanging rather than to devote my life to a World that will be soon destroyed and You must think to yourself that too.

You must think to yourself that this is Serious. So how is your love life? Let us pray father. We thank you for this day. We thank you for all that you have provided. We also thank you for your son Jesus Christ who we are justified in we also thank you for your word and we thank you that Lord that you command us and You give us these warnings.

Father. I pray for those who are struggling with worldliness. I pray that you may draw them to Christ. I pray that you may grant repentance. And Lord, I also pray for the remaining of the preachers. I pray that you may help them and that they may be faithful Christ's name Amen.